SaladPower contains the health benefits extreme athletes need in the convenient way they need it.
When we talk about extreme athletes, we are not only referring to athletes who participate in extreme sports—we are speaking to those of you who continually challenge yourselves to maximize your potential and accomplish more than you originally thought was possible. We are speaking to early-morning go-getters and late-night warriors. We are speaking to those doing two-a-days with an eye toward championship days. But also, the concept of being an extreme athlete is something larger, something that lasts beyond the competitions: being an extreme athlete can be a lifelong lifestyle.
So if that describes who you are or who you want to be, please read on and find out why SaladPower is an optimal beverage for you and extreme athletes like you.
How the Green Vegetables in SaladPower Help Athletes
You may recall our previous article explaining why green vegetables are so good for athletes. In this article, we take it a step further and look at all of the premium, organic ingredients in Saladpower, and why extreme athletes are buying into SaladPower’s extreme health benefits.
To recap, the green vegetables in SaladPower—namely, kale, spinach, and broccoli—fuel athletes with nutrients they need to perform at a high level and offer a range of other health benefits. Remember: the general goal for an athlete is to find a diet that has the proper blend of macronutrients, micronutrients, and fluids.[1]
The term macronutrients encompasses carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, all of which are integral energy sources during extended periods of physical activity. While starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes are carb-rich, green vegetables, like broccoli, can also supply moderate levels of carbohydrates.[2]
Micronutrients, such as minerals, phytochemicals, and vitamins, also play a pivotal role in athletic performance. Both spinach and kale are rich in calcium and vitamin K, which aid in bone strength and help prevent fractures.[3] Consuming enough calcium and vitamin K, therefore, can be the difference between staying in the game and being injured and watching from the sidelines.
Also of particular importance to athletes, low levels of micronutrients can cause “excessive production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that induce tissue damage, a higher frequency of inflammatory processes, decreased immunity, increased susceptibility to injury, and prolonged recovery.”[4]
In addition, green vegetables, like broccoli, spinach, and kale, provide a range of advantages to the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems in athletes. In a 2021 study of 3,759 subjects, researchers found that those who consumed nitrate-rich diets, usually from leafy green vegetables, showed more strength in their leg muscles and superior walking speeds when compared to subjects who ate half the amount of nitrate-rich foods.[5]
A 2023 study highlighted that the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin are pigments found in green vegetables, and when consumed, accumulate in the retina, providing for an enhanced sense of visual contrast sensitivity. The end product is a better “visual range ability and subsequent athletic performance.”[6]
How the Lemon and Apple in SaladPower Helps Athletes
Aside from the green vegetables, the lemon in SaladPower is a potent source of vitamin C and flavonoids. Hesperetin, one of the flavonoids in lemons, is invaluable to athletes in that it is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticancer properties.[7] A 2019 study also links lemons to heart health, which is of course of fundamental importance to any serious athlete.[8]
SaladPower contains half of an organic apple as well, and all of the health benefits that come with it, including antioxidants, fiber, and a range of vitamins and minerals. The fiber in a medium-sized apple contains over 10% of an adult’s daily needs (depending on the individual). Since research links adequate fiber intake to a reduction in cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke, apples are an excellent choice of food to incorporate into an athlete’s diet.[9] The quercetin, an antioxidant, in apples also helps reduce inflammation for athletes during recovery.[10]
Why Extreme Athletes Relish the Convenience of SaladPower
With SaladPower, it is not just the plethora of nutrients contained in each organic smoothie, it is also the convenience with which athletes can consume them. Both the American College of Sports Medicine and the International Society of Sports Nutrition stress the temporal sensitivity of when athletes eat, underscoring the role of timing meals in enhancing athletic performance and recuperation.[11] [12] While other meals with similar levels of nutrients can take more than an hour to prepare, SaladPower is ready to deliver vital nourishment for athletes at a moment’s notice.
Every sport is different and requires a unique diet for optimal performance, so be sure to consult your doctor and consider enlisting a nutritionist to tailor a diet for your needs. For those in need of a nutrient-rich, convenient, all-organic smoothie, we hope you reach for a SaladPower pouch—we created them just for you!
[1] Purcell, L. K., & Canadian Paediatric Society, Paediatric Sports and Exercise Medicine Section (2013). Sport nutrition for young athletes. Paediatrics & child health, 18(4), 200–205. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/18.4.200
[2] USDA. (2020). FoodData Central. Usda.gov. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170379/nutrients
[3] Hao, G., Zhang, B., Gu, M., Chen, C., Zhang, Q., Zhang, G., & Cao, X. (2017). Vitamin K intake and the risk of fractures: A meta-analysis. Medicine, 96(17), e6725. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000006725
[4] Lamprecht M. (2012). Supplementation with mixed fruit and vegetable concentrates in relation to athlete's health and performance: scientific insight and practical relevance. Medicine and sport science, 59, 70–85. https://doi.org/10.1159/000341960
[5] Sim, M., Blekkenhorst, L. C., Bondonno, N. P., Radavelli-Bagatini, S., Peeling, P., Bondonno, C. P., Magliano, D. J., Shaw, J. E., Woodman, R., Murray, K., Lewis, J. R., Daly, R. M., & Hodgson, J. M. (2021). Dietary Nitrate Intake Is Positively Associated with Muscle Function in Men and Women Independent of Physical Activity Levels. The Journal of Nutrition, 151(5), 1222–1230. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxaa415
[6] Harth, Jacob B.; Renzi-Hammond, Lisa M.; Hammond, Billy R. Jr. A Dietary Strategy for Optimizing the Visual Range of Athletes. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews 51(3):p 103-108, July 2023. | DOI: 10.1249/JES.0000000000000318
[7] Roohbakhsh, A., Parhiz, H., Soltani, F., Rezaee, R., & Iranshahi, M. (2015). Molecular mechanisms behind the biological effects of hesperidin and hesperetin for the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Life sciences, 124, 64–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2014.12.030
[8] Mahmoud, A. M., Hernández Bautista, R. J., Sandhu, M. A., & Hussein, O. E. (2019). Beneficial Effects of Citrus Flavonoids on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2019, 5484138. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/5484138
[9] McRae M. P. (2017). Dietary Fiber Is Beneficial for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: An Umbrella Review of Meta-analyses. Journal of chiropractic medicine, 16(4), 289–299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcm.2017.05.005
[10] Jafarinia, M., Sadat Hosseini, M., Kasiri, N., Fazel, N., Fathi, F., Ganjalikhani Hakemi, M., & Eskandari, N. (2020). Quercetin with the potential effect on allergic diseases. Allergy, asthma, and clinical immunology : official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 16, 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13223-020-00434-0
[11] American College of Sports Medicine. (2016). Nutrition and athletic performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 48(3), 543–568. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000000852
[12] Kerksick, C. M., Wilborn, C. D., Roberts, M. D., Smith-Ryan, A., Kleiner, S. M., Jäger, R., Collins, R., Cooke, M., Davis, J. N., Galvan, E., Greenwood, M., Lowery, L. M., Wildman, R., Antonio, J., & Kreider, R. B. (2018). ISSN exercise & sports nutrition review update: research & recommendations. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0242-y